DGS Members are helping to index the 1940 US Census

As genealogists, we have all spent countless hours searching through census records looking for our own relatives. Most of us just take the existence of a fully indexed census for granted, blissfully unaware of the herculean effort that went into its creation. Well, its payback time, and I for one am thrilled to be able to contribute. What a wonderful opportunity to be a participant in the creation of an enduring legacy for future researchers!

The DGS strongly encourages all genealogists to participate and asks that DGS members associate their activities with the Dallas Genealogical Society. See this Family Search aid for information on registering.

As you learn the ins and outs of indexing please share your tips and suggestions with the rest of us by replying to this post…

2 Responses to DGS Members are helping to index the 1940 US Census

On one batch I was indexing, the census taker entered “Dallas, Tarrant, Texas” for two entries. I indexed as “Dallas, Dallas, Texas.” The arbitrator changed it back to “Dallas, Tarrant, Texas.” It appears that correcting spelling is ok, but correcting known mistakes by the census taker is not.

The best trick I have learned so far was to adjust the highlights… this aligns the highlighted area that shows the field you are typing with the form. To to this, go to the View menu and select ‘Adjust Highlights’.

Then move your mouse down into the area of the form that contains the data to be entered: a red outline should appear. Drag each corner of the outline so that it is directly over the correct areas of the form (you can, and should, adjust all 4 corners).

Click on ‘Adjust Highlights’ on the View menu again to make the red outline go away.

Now the highlighted area should appear in the appropriate area of the form!